1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparati and methods for supporting an object on a wall surface and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for height adjustably supporting furnishings on a wall surface including a longitudinally extended wall mount section to which is mounted a longitudinally extended object support rail having an upper surface to receive a saddle bracket to which an object to be supported is mounted.
2. Description of Related Art
Various systems have been proposed for mounting objects on a wall. However, each of these prior art devices includes some inherent disadvantages which detract from their usefulness.
For example, Chervenak, U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,507, discloses a system for mounting storage units to a wall including a wall rail defining a U-shaped channel and a mounting key. The mounting key is formed of two legs, the first leg being securely held within the wall rail channel and the second leg slidably engagable with upwardly extending horizontal slots located in the rear of a storage unit. Additionally, a leveling key may be used to keep the storage unit in a level condition.
Chervenak clearly requires substantial modification of objects to be supported by the mounting system, as upwardly extending horizontal slots must be added to the rear surface of the object to be supported. Such modifications are both unsightly and impractical for use with cabinetry and other such furniture. Furthermore, the mounting key only engages the object to be supported in one location, specifically in a single horizontal slot. Therefore, no redundancy is provided to prevent a supported object from disengaging from this single contact point and falling to the ground. There is therefore a need for an object support system requiring only minor modifications to objects to be supported therefrom and which will provide more than a single contact support point.
Other such wall rail systems have been proposed, including Kelley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,436, and Wyatt, British Patent No. 2,206,033, however, these devices do not provide for height adjustment without major modifications to either the support structure or the object being supported. There is therefore a need for a device which will provide for a safe, efficient heights adjustment of objects being supported thereon.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus, method and system for adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface which can quickly and easily be adapted to fit almost any object to be supported, including cabinetry and furniture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface which will provide for simple and efficient height adjustment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface which uses a bracket which is designed to engage a commercially available double-slotted standard.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for height adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface wherein the connection between the bracket and standard has more than one point of contact to provide safety through redundancy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for height adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface which may be quickly and simply modified to accommodate a hand rail for use in residences or the like.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, system and method for height adjustably supporting an object on a wall surface which is relatively simple to manufacture and install and is safe and efficient in use.
Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent from the Description of the Preferred Embodiments and the Drawings and may be in part pointed out in more detail hereinafter.
The invention consists of the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the appended claims.